In gripper looms, a feed gripper accepts a filling yarn kept ready at one side of a shed and then inserts it into this shed. In accordance with one example, the feed gripper moves the filling approximately into the shed center. There the filling is transferred to a receiving gripper and moved to the opposite shed side. In another example, the feed gripper moves the filling to the opposite shed side where it is transferred to a stationary gripper. The feed gripper is mounted to the front end of a rapier which can be inserted into and then be withdrawn from the shed and which drives the feed gripper and moves it into the shed.
A feed gripper of the above kind is known from the British patent 1,487,897. Two bent and mutually articulating metal plates constitute a tubular housing. The feed gripper is fitted at one or both sides with two cooperating clamp elements for each filling. These clamp elements each are mounted on one of the two mutually connected metal plates.
In another example of a known gripper loom as disclosed in the French patent 2,132,560, a gripper head mounted on a gripper rod is described, and which comprises a tubular housing constituted of an integral plate. This gripper head contains no thread clamp and pulls a looped thread into a shed, one end of said loop being held in place. At the center of the shed, the loop is transferred to another gripper which then pulls the free filling end through the shed.